Production of electrodes for galvanic batteries



Patented June 3, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,496,536 PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD N. COX,

]? GLEN RIDGENEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO NEW JERSEY PATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PRODUCTION OF ELECTRODES FOR GALVANIC BATTERIES.

R0 Drawing. Original application filed April 12, 1919, Serial No. 289,844. Divided and this application tiled December 14, 1920. Serial No. 430,782.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HAROLD N. Cox, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Glen Rid e, Essex County, New Jersey, have invente certain new and useful Imrovements in the Production of Electrodes or Galvanic Batteries, of which the following ils a description. e present application is a division of my co-pendin application, Serial No. 289,644, filed pril 12, 1.919, and entitled, Production of electrodes for galvanic batteries on which Patent No. 1,366,559 was granted on Jan. 25, 1921.

My invention relates to the production of electrodes for galvanic batteries, and more particularly those employing a caustic alkaline electrolyte, and in which the negative electrode consists of an element or ele- 0 ments of oxid of copper or other depolarizing agent and the positive electrode consists of an element or elements of zinc.

In batteries of this type, the negative elec- 1 trodes are usually made in the form of 1lates or cylinders molded from a mass of nely divided oxid of copper. As oxid of copper is a material the particles of which have very slight attraction for each other, ithas heretofore been .necessary in formin 0 such electrodes to subject the finely divide copper oxid to an enormous pressure in molding and to then bake or heat the molded elemenhfor a considerable period under a red heat in order to pro erly ag lomerate 8 and harden the same. It us also con customary before molding the finely divided oxid of copper, to mix a slight amount of alkaline water therewith. 1 The riicipal object of my invention is to pro use an improved electrode of this character which will be more uniform in structure and which will be self-sustaining and suificiently hard and strong for practical use, without subjecting the same to the 4 usual baking operation:

My invention also resides in the method of makin my improved electrode.

I have ound that molded oxid of cop er electrodes in which an electrolyte, such, gor example, as sodium hydroxid, or a mixture of the same, either with finely divided zinc or any other metal which will reduce copper oxid in the presence of which, in other 'ords, s more electro-posl' following to be the preferred:

that many modifications and an electrolyte or tive than'copper, if properly incorporated or combined with the oxid of cop or as a binder therefor, are sufliciently har strong and coherent without baking. Moreover,

. the disposition of the oxid of copper in such an electrode is more uniform t an in electrodes of this character heretofore employed, and consequently the electrode is more uniform in its action in the cell.

Where zinc, or other suitable metal, is mixed or associated with sodium hydroxid or other suitable electrolyte as a binder for the oxid of copper, the electrode reduced is harder and stron er than w ere the binder consists only of sodium hydroxid or other s itable electrolyte; and when zinc is employed in the binder it is unnecessary to provide the electrode with a layer of copper or other conducting material in order to start the action of the cell.

Electrodes embodyingm invention may be made by various methods but I find the In case a binder consisting of zinc combined with sodium hydroxid isemployed,substantially 100 parts by weight of cupric oxid is first mixed with substantially 2 parts b weight offinely divided zinc and with a su cient amount of a 20 solution of sodium hydroxid to make the final sodium hydroxid content of the electrode when dry about 2% of its weight. The cupric oxid is preferabl of such fineness that it will all ass throng a 100 mesh screen and75% o it will pass through a 200 mesh screen. The mixture thus produced is compressed into an electrode element of the desired form in a suitable mold, and such elementis then removed from the mold and thoroughly dried after which it is ready to beset up in a col It is to be understood that the forms oi electrodes specifically described herein, as well as themethod for producing the same, are merely illustrativeof my invention,-and changes may arting from the scope of be made therein withoutdo the spirit of the invention an the appended claims.

aving now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows:

A self-sustaining electrode element for galvanic batteries, consisting of oxid of co per and a mixture of finely divided met 0 material which is more electro-positive than co per and sodium h droxid as a binder, su stantially as descri ed.

2. An electrode for galvanic batteries, consisting of oxid of cop er and a1 mixture of finely divided zinc an sodium hydroxid as a binder, substantiall as described.

3. A self-sustaining e ectrode element for galvanic batteries, consisting of a mixture of approximately 100 arts by weight of oxid of copper, 2 parts y weight of finely divided metallic material, which is more electro-positive than copper, and 2 parts by weight of sodium hydroxid, substantially as described.

4. An electrode for galvanic batteries,

consisting of a mixture of approximately 100 parts by weight of oxid of copper, 2 parts by weight of finel divided zinc, and 2' parts by weight of so ium hydroxid, substantially as described.

5. The method of forming an electrode for galvanic batteries, which consists in incorporating oxid of co per, finely divided metallic material Whic is more electropositive than copper, and a solution of sodium hydroxide 'in a molded element, and

then drying such element, substantially as described.

This s ecification signed this 11th day of Decem er, 1920. HAROLD-N. COX. 

